Bennett Syndrome
by some kind of exquisite
Summary: She heard his heaving sobs from inside her cell when he thought she was sleeping. Disappointed in his own weakness and the sheer impossibility of their love. Klaus/Bonnie. Dark themes.
1. Escape is Futile

**A/N: I'm back with a new TVD 'fic :D And I've jumped aboard the Klonnie train! This is also my first properly 'dark' tvd fic. Everything will make sense soon enough. I hope. Enjoy! And don't forget to leave a review ;)**

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><p><strong>Bennett Syndrome<strong>

**CHAPTER ONE**

'47 MISSED CALLS, 22 NEW MESSAGES' flashed against the neon green wallpaper of her cell phone. Bonnie Bennett watched the tiny silver contraption flicker out of commission as she retrieved the SIM card. Tossing the phone into the trash, she let the SIM card drop to the pavement and ground it beneath her heeled boot. They were all from Elena, Caroline, and Jeremy, she knew. They were worried about her. She supposed she ought to be thankful she had such caring friends.

They were all _much_ safer the further from them she stayed. That was why she was currently standing on the sidewalk of a busy city, awaiting the next cab that would drop her at the airport. She needed to move far, far away and keep moving. Siberia, Yemen, nowhere on Earth was far enough.

'_I will find you, Bonnie. Even if you escape to the far reaches of the planet, I will find you. Mark my words.' _

The rich, accented voice plagued her every waking thought and nightmare. The dreams were the worst. There, Klaus could exercise his inhuman power. Force her to live through her worst nightmares. Night after night, she saw her loved ones slain by Klaus and he relished her screams. He seemed to get off on them. When he got bored, he would take to hurting her. Cool silver knives tracing crimson patterns into her skin. His breath quickened as her screams intensified. Their pulses would race together, but for completely different reasons. She would awake with fresh scars that disappeared the next night.

'_I'll have you, Bonnie Bennett. I'll have you in every way I want, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it.'_

"Do you need this one?"

She jolted out of her reverie at the kind hazel eyes awaiting her answer.

"Oh, uh-"

"I'm heading to the airport. Are you going in that direction by any chance?"

"Erm, yes."

"Care to split a cab? Monday morning, you know. Busy, busy."

"Will you one of you get in the damn cab?" grunted the driver.

"Sure thing."

Bonnie slid in, pressing herself to the far corner of the car. The stranger with the pretty eyes slid in after her and even as her hunched figure indicated she wasn't in the mood for conversation, he pressed on.

"My name is David, by the way."

She gave him a sidelong glance. He was awaiting her response, body angled toward her. He had floppy brown hair and stubble across his chiselled jaw.

"Ingrid." She sighed softly. "Ingrid…Thomas."

"Nice to meet you, Ingrid. Where are you headed?"

Bonnie shrugged. "I'm not sure yet."

David frowned. "Well, if you're ever back in town, I'd love to get coffee with you sometime."

"I'm not ever coming back."

Any conversation David had prepared died then and there. They pulled into the front of the airport twenty minutes later and Bonnie hopped out, heaving her black carry-on behind her.

It was then that she should have noticed the stranger didn't follow her into the airport. She should have noticed the way he pulled out his cell phone and spoke with quiet intent into it, eyes trained on her retreating back the entire time.

But Bonnie was new to this. She had never been one to run from her problems. Even if it meant overestimating her power, she always stayed to fight. Yet here she was, intent on running as far from her enemies as possible. She had no fight left in her.

**KB**

_When she awoke, she was in some sort of garden. A garden awash with colours she could never have imagined; not in her wildest dreams. A garden filled with all manner of exotic and frightening plants. Just as she was reaching to stroke a velvety flower that was pulsating a vivid orange, a voice spoke; the voice that had occupied her every nightmare for a month._

"_I wouldn't touch that if I were you."_

_She whirled around so fast, her head hurt and her vision took seconds to readjust. There he stood, clad in his usual uniform of head to toe black with a requisite smirk gracing his angelic features._

"_I chanced upon this place some centuries ago, exercising the reaches of my power. It was always all too brief. I could never enjoy this wondrous place I'd imagined. As a hybrid, however…" He trailed off, seemingly enraptured by a cluster of scarlet flowers._

_He fixed her with a cold stare. "I'll bet you don't even know you're dreaming."_

_Bonnie cursed under her breath. She must have fallen asleep on the flight to… She steeled herself. This was Klaus' dream which meant he could read her every conscious thought. She couldn't have him knowing where she was headed._

_With vampiric super-speed, he suddenly knelt against the grass between her legs, hands resting gently on her knees._

"_Oh come on, love. I prepared this place, especially for you. I've been waiting for you, Bonnie…or should I call you Ingrid?"_

_Bonnie swallowed her gasp, composing her face into a careful mask of neutrality. Plucking the orange flower Bonnie had previously been trying to touch, he tucked it behind her ear. Her dark curls concealed the stem. It was every bit as soft as she imagined._

"_Don't run from me," Klaus murmured with a deceptively kind smile. "Because I can run faster. Wherever you're running to, I'll be there first. I'll be waiting, Bonnie. For you."_

_Bonnie tried not to let the fear show on her face. "I-I won't let you hurt my friends. You can't have Elena, Klaus."_

_A vague emotion swept through Klaus' eyes but it was gone as soon as it had appeared. _

"_Michael needs Elena," he said simply. "And Michael will have his way."_

"_Ple-" _

The garden faded out of view and Bonnie opened her bleary eyes to see she was back in the uncomfortable airplane seat. She sat up so quickly that her knees banged against the unfolded tray in front of her. Feeling in her hair, she pulled out the buttery soft flower and gasped softly. It had lost much of its beauty here in the bleak, dim lighting of the plane. The unassuming flower sent chills through her spine and left her feeling cold all the same. Letting it flutter to the ground, she crushed it beneath her heel.

"Two hours until landing time," she told her herself quietly. Two hours until she could book herself into an obscure motel and sleep away her fears with some Ambien.

Unfortunately for her, her fears had a habit of following her into her sleep.

**KB**

"She's been gone for three days, Damon." Elena stopped pacing to fix him with an accusatory look. "Three days. Maybe Klaus has her? We need to find her, Damon!"

_We need to do this, Damon. We need to do that, Damon. Help me, Damon, help. Why aren't you helping, Damon?_

Damon really wished Elena would shut up.

"My brother is missing as well, Elena," he grunted. Balling his fist tightly, he pressed against the bookshelf and closed his eyes. "I'm trying, just…please."

"Well, you're not trying hard enough. Who next, Damon? Caroline? Alaric? Maybe I should just hand myself over if it's causing everyone else so much harm."

"No!" Damon shouted despite his efforts to retain composure. "No, you will _not _just hand yourself over to Klaus. That is exactly what Bonnie does _not_ want to happen. She'll turn up eventually, just give it time."

"She'll turn up? Just give it time? Are you out of your mind? This is Bonnie we're talking about here. She doesn't just disappear for three days with no word. That isn't Bonnie!"

Damon ran a hand through his hair, cussing under his breath. He'd loaned the witch enough money to 'kill Klaus and bring Stefan home' – in her own words – but he was beginning to worry she'd skipped out entirely. He couldn't tell Elena any of that, though. Or Caroline, or Alaric. How could he explain that he'd put Bonnie's life in jeopardy to save Elena's? He couldn't. They wouldn't understand that it was for the greater good; that he was coming from a good place. This was the witch's idea, anyway. She'd come to him with this proposition, making him swear not to tell anyone.

So instead, he turned and said: "Leave it to me. Just…leave everything to me."

Elena still didn't look convinced but she was off his case at least.

"I just miss them, Damon. Stefan and…and Bonnie."

Tears were falling fast now and he let her tumble into his waiting arms, reminding himself why he was doing all this; _who _he was doing it for.

_Only Elena matters,_ he thought.

**KB**

Bonnie was beginning to wish she'd gone somewhere where her uni-lingualism wasn't a problem. Instead, she spent two hours trying to book a room in a seedy motel because of the language barrier between her and the forty year old Russian man behind the front desk.

Once inside, she showered and changed into an oversized flannel shirt that smelled of her father's high-end cologne. The scent brought hot tears to her eyes and she couldn't focus on the little boxy television that had just sprung to life. Not that she'd be able to understand any of it anyway.

Switching the television off and laying back against the cold sheets, she felt sleep steal over her and sunk into its warm embrace.

"_Hello, love."_

"_Do you ever get tired of stalking me?"_

"_You mean to say you don't enjoy our late night rendezvous'?" _

"_Not particularly," Bonnie replied curtly._

"_How unfortunate." Klaus shrugged. "I hope you're ready, Bonnie."_

"_Ready…? What-"_

"_I told you running was futile. Don't say I didn't warn you."_

_Bonnie's pulse quickened. She tried to calm herself. Klaus was probably lying. He was trying to scare her, she reasoned._

"_They're closing in on you."_

"_Who is? Klaus, I'm not in the mood for your mind games."_

_He was at her side in an instant when he did a most peculiar thing. There was no smirk on his face when he reached out and stroked her jaw. There was no arrogance behind his eyes, no schadenfreude glinting in them._

"_I did warn you, didn't I?"_

"_Klaus."_

_He ignored her. "You should have just turned yourself over."_

Bonnie was shaken awake but not because Klaus had ended the dream. There were large, muscular hands wrapped in leather gloves that were pulling her out of her tiny motel bed.

"What? Hey!"

Bonnie gathered her strength and launched an attack against her kidnappers, willing their blood vessels to burst. She didn't stop to think if they were human or supernatural, she just lashed out.

"Leave her."

She'd recognize the cold, commanding voice anywhere. She'd dreamt about it every night for over a month, after all. It was so much more terrifying in real life, she thought.

"She'll come quietly, won't you…Bonnie?"

She didn't need to nod her agreement. She pulled her boots on as quickly as possible and followed the hybrid out of the room, flanked by his minions. She chanced a glance at the oblivious, compelled motel clerk.

"It's so good to see you again."

"The feeling is not mutual," she bit back.

"Yes, you keep that brave face on, Bennett." Klaus chuckled like he'd just heard her say something hilarious. "When Michael is through with you, you'll need it."

Bonnie ignored the implication of his words. Fear was going to get her nowhere now. She had failed. She had failed and this was all that pervaded her thoughts. A weak part of her prayed her friends would find her but the martyr in her hoped they evaded Klaus and his father.

_Please God…_ She later found herself sobbing in the small cell they put her in and realised she didn't care anymore. _If you're there…_

**KB**

"Please, Michael. I can watch over the witch. Klaus is indispensable after all. Surely, he should be doing more important work than baby-sitting a teenage witch."

Stefan kept fixed eye contact with the senior Original. He didn't know why he was so desperate to be assigned to the witch. A part of him just knew it was imperative. It couldn't – _wouldn't_ – be Klaus.

"You make a fine point." Michael leaned forward, cocking a brow at Klaus.

"I found the witch!" Klaus shouted, a note of petulance colouring his tone. "It's only right that I watch her."

"The hybrid has a soft spot for his little witch," sneered one of Michael's minions. Klaus shot him a withering look.

"Why not? Let him have his depraved way with the witch. We need her broken anyway. Only then will she help us."

"No son of mine…" Michael leaned forward, his words dropping to a hushed murmur. "Will succumb to the temptation of a witch – a seventeen year old witch at that."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. "I feel nothing for the witch. She is mortal scum to me. She is nothing more than a swindler, like the rest of her kind. I could break her in for you, father. Make her feel pain she never imagined existed. All the worst kinds of suffering. She'll be begging to help us when I'm through with her."

A cheer went up around the hall, the idea of violence exciting all the bloodthirsty vampires.

"Very well." Michael smiled coldly, something akin to pride lighting his eyes. "You shall watch over the witch."

Stefan's eye twitched and he blinked twice to cover up. Why did this bother him so much? He'd left the old Stefan behind in Mystic Falls when he agreed to help Klaus. Or was he compelled? He shook his head, not liking what was happening to him.

_Help Bonnie._

_No._

_It's the right thing._

_I'm loyal to Klaus now. Klaus and Michael._

_She's your friend. And Elena – you love her, remember? – and Caroline and Alaric. Friends. They need you._

_I don't know what you're talking about._

_Your brother, Damon, needs you._

_Shut up._

The distant sobs of a witch seared at his chest. Rubbing the spot, he noticed Klaus watching him.

"Remember who you serve," Klaus muttered as he shoved past Stefan.

_I serve Klaus. Klaus and Michael._

**KB**


	2. Filthy Little Witch

**A/N: The site is saying there are reviews for this but I can't read any of them right now. Oh well, thank you guys :) I'm in the honeymoon phase with this 'fic so here's a quick update!**

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><p><strong>Bennett Syndrome<strong>

**CHAPTER TWO**

Bonnie didn't know how long she'd been asleep. It could have been hours or even days; the bleak cell offered no indication as to the time of day. No light penetrated the stifling darkness.

"Get up," a rough voice grunted.

Bonnie pulled herself to her feet, wincing at the stiff pain in her joints. The guard had brought her food, she noted. A glass of lukewarm water sat aside half a grapefruit on a brown tray.

"Eat." The guard departed from the cell as swiftly as he had arrived.

Bonnie took three careful sips of the water, too thirsty to care that it might be laced with poison. If they were going to kill her, they had already had countless opportunities to do so. Thankfully, it wasn't poisoned and so she gingerly lifted the grapefruit. She made a face at the bitter taste of the pink flesh and pushed it to the corner of her tray.

"Expecting five star cuisine, love?"

Bonnie didn't need to look up to know Klaus was in her cell.

"I'm not hungry." She turned away from the hybrid, angling herself toward the darkness in the far corner of her tiny cell.

"You will be," he said conversationally. "I'd eat if I were you. Meals aren't exactly a regular luxury around here. Well-" He laughed. "Not unless you're the meal."

"I won't help you." She turned and thrust her chin up defiantly.

"Your predicament belies your attitude, Ms Bennett."

"What do you want from me?"

A sharp pain seared the left side of her face and it took her a moment to realise that Klaus was standing over her, hand outstretched. She swallowed a pitiful sob and cowered against the cold stone floor.

"You don't _get_ to ask the questions," Klaus hissed. "You don't get to speak to me like that, you _filthy little witch_."

Bonnie struggled to stay silent. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on bringing her breathing to a regular pace. She gathered her strength, focusing on launching Klaus against the far wall. Klaus let out a humourless laugh.

"You have no strength left in you. Where is your precious _magic_ now, witch?"

"You must have protected the cell. Compelled another witch to-"

A swift kick to her middle killed the words on her tongue and she cried out, vision blurring with pain.

"I did no such thing," Klaus said, barely controlled rage permeating his voice. "You are weak and it's time you accepted that."

"No," she whispered into the floor inches from her mouth.

Of course, Klaus heard. Another well-aimed kick to her stomach brought what little she'd had to eat bubbling up. The pain was unbelievably intense; she felt consciousness slipping away.

"You'll learn," Klaus swore. "You'll learn your place soon enough."

He departed swiftly from the room, leaving Bonnie to contend with her injuries.

_I wish he was dead._ She gasped at the wet sensation in her middle; the pain spread rapidly through her body. When she tried to move, she heard several terrible cracks. _If I'm going to die, God, I wish he were dead too._

Consciousness was fleeting and she was soon pulled into a dream, her first since the night at the motel in Moscow.

_She was in her old bedroom, back in Mystic Falls. Bonnie watched the room carefully, awaiting Klaus' inevitable appearance. This dream felt different, though. More surreal, less tangible. It was her own dream, she realised as a pleasurable calm washed over her._

"_Bonnie, hey."_

_She turned to see Jeremy exiting her adjoining bathroom, a thick white towel secured around his waist._

"_Jeremy!" She tackled him affectionately, not able to stop the flood of tears cascading down her cheeks._

"_Hey, slow down there." Jeremy chuckled, pulling her away and holding her at arm's length. "Was I that bad?"_

"_Bad? Jeremy, what-?"_

"_I just want you to know that this afternoon was special to me, Bon. Whatever happens, we have that."_

_Bonnie turned, eyed the mussed sheets and their own bedraggled appearance and put two and two together._

"_Oh." She buried her face in his neck again. "Oh, Jeremy."_

_She breathed in his fresh pine scent, vowing never to let go. Was it possible to just live in a dream forever? Just remain catatonic, leaving her lifeless body back in that godforsaken cell._

"_Bonnie…" Worry wrinkled Jeremy's forehead. "Bon…"_

"_Bonnie, drink. Please, Bonnie, you need to drink."_

_Bonnie shook her head, confused. The room blurred around her._

_She was vaguely aware of the blood dripping agonizingly slowly into her mouth. Gradually, sustenance returned to her body. She felt the blood nourishing her fatal injuries. A small part of her knew it must have been vampire blood but she ignored it. She needed strength if she were going to kill Klaus and this was giving her strength._

When she had gorged herself, her cell came into sharp focus and a pair of expensive-looking leather shoes sped away before she could look up. Dizzy, she turned and threw up the little she'd had to eat all over the stone floor. She pulled herself to the opposite corner, trying to ignore the throbbing of her head and the putrid smell.

"Jeremy…" she murmured. "Jer…e…my…"

**KB**

"What did you—?"

"She's fine," Klaus said casually, biting messily into an apple he found on the counter. "Just a bit of rough and tumble to show her who runs things around here."

Stefan's jaw tensed. "You can't kill her. Michael needs her."

"I won't." Klaus rolled his eyes. "I thought I had cured you of that damn humanity. Why do you care what I do with the girl?"

"I don't," Stefan said quickly. "I'm just worried, Klaus. The others think you're going soft."

"Soft?" Klaus turned to face Stefan, his expression unreadable. "Soft?"

"I'm only the messenger." Stefan shrugged. "The witch won't help us. I know Bonnie, she's too…_loyal_. We're better off attacking Mystic Falls and taking Elena by force."

Klaus chuckled derisively, clapping Stefan hard on the shoulder. "And _that_ is why you're not in charge, Salvatore."

Stefan shrugged indifferently. "I still think we're wasting our time with the witch, Klaus."

"_My_ time," Klaus said, anger starting to show in his voice. "And I'll choose how I spend _my _time."

Stefan shrugged again, as though to signal he was over this conversation. "Good luck with that, Klaus. Really."

Grabbing a bread roll and some fruit, he turned to leave the room. "Hungry," he muttered when Klaus cocked a brow at him.

**KB**

"Bonnie?" Stefan whispered.

Bonnie raised her head, pleased to realise the pain in her head had subsided.

"Stefan?"

"I thought you could use something to eat."

Bonnie took the soft bread and apple thankfully, retreating to her corner. Her cell was filthy, she hadn't showered since being taken captive, and yet she found she couldn't care less. Her plain grey tank top and dark-wash jeans were smudged with dust and grime. She had long since discarded her boots, opting to walk the cool floor barefoot.

"Did he hurt you?" Stefan asked bluntly.

"What do you think?"

Stefan cleared his throat. "You should do what they ask, Bonnie."

"And hurt Elena and the others in the process? I'd rather be dead," Bonnie spat.

Stefan sighed. "You're making things difficult for yourself."

"Yes, because this is all my fault." Her voice broke and once again, Bonnie could do nothing to stop the onslaught of tears. "I'm the one who locked myself in this cell. I'm the one who kicked myself half to death. I'm the one—"

She trailed off, taking a second to wipe her tears and tear into her bread.

"You really should co-operate with Klaus," Stefan repeated.

She didn't know for how much longer he stood there. When she looked up, after finishing her food, he was gone.

**KB**

"Is my little witch ready for me?"

"Fuck off, Klaus," she spat harshly.

"Still feisty, I see." Klaus sighed wearily. "Now, what are we going to do about th—?"

"Who healed me?" she interrupted him.

She fully expected him to slap her for her insolence, or ignore her entirely. Instead, he fixed her with a repulsed look.

"Probably Stefan, that imbecile."

For some unfathomable reason, Bonnie's spirits sank. She knew Klaus was a monster –unfeeling, cruel, inhumane – yet some part of her must have held out hope that he was capable of sympathy.

It wasn't too far-fetched. After all, weren't their actual recorded cases of Lima Syndrome? Then again, this was a centuries old vampire she was dealing with, not a slightly imbalanced human being.

"What do you want from me?" she croaked feebly, avoiding his cold stare.

"This place is filthy," he commented, ignoring her. "Absolutely repulsive. Typical of your kind."

Bonnie moaned under her breath, willing him away.

"Still can't do magic I see?"

"I'm not trying," she lied.

"Don't lie to me," Klaus said matter-of-factly. "You're weak. Your powers no longer work."

"Sure. Whatever."

She was ready for the slap this time and doubled over when she saw his foot coming down. His blow glanced her side and hot tears sprang to her eyes at the fresh wave of pain.

After a few more seconds of silence, interrupted by her sobs and Klaus tut-tutting under his breath, he swept from the cell and exited the dungeon, leaving Bonnie alone in her agony.

**KB**

_She was dreaming again, Bonnie noted with some boredom. The sensation was old to her now. _

"_Does it hurt?" a voice asked softly. _

_She turned to see Klaus standing some feet away, partially concealed by shadows. His uncharacteristically gentle tone convinced her this must be her dream._

"_Yes," she said quietly, knowing he could hear. Any louder and she risked crying. It seemed all she did nowadays was cry. _

"_I'd give you my blood if I could," Klaus continued. He seemed wary, almost afraid of her. "Michael says you'll be fine, that you don't need it."_

"_It hurts," Bonnie said, knowing it sounded redundant but she needed to keep talking. She needed to distract herself, even when every fibre of her being screamed at her to run from this monster._

"_I know…" Klaus squeezed his eyes shut, shuffling back a few steps, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, Bonnie, I…"_

"_Why are you doing this?" The tears she tried to keep at bay spilt fast now._

"_I don't have a choice!" he shouted. Bonnie flinched. A manic desperation watered his eyes._

"_You always have a choice," Bonnie said bravely. "You choose to listen to Michael and do whatever he says. You're a coward, Klaus."_

"_Why must you be a witch?_"_ he continued, watching her quizzically as though he were awaiting an answer. "This is your fault. I would never betray my father, not for anything. And certainly not for a weak, seventeen-year-old witch."_

"_I'm not weak. You are." Even as she said that, Bonnie couldn't help her lower lip quivering._

_Klaus nodded seriously, as though he were considering her words. "Leave. I don't want you here anymore."_

Bonnie shook awake, vaguely aware that she was was being moved. Fatigue and pain stole over her as she sank back into a deep sleep.

** KB**

When she awoke from a - thankfully dreamless - sleep, Bonnie noted that she wasn't in her cell anymore. She was in a room, roughly the size of her old bedroom, lying in a queen-size bed furnished with plain white sheets and covers. The walls were a plain off-white colour, complementing the ceiling. A small wooden dresser, slightly beaten up, lay next to her bed and a full-length mirror was propped up against the wall in the corner of the room.

She sat up fully, combing her hair out of her eyes with her fingers. Her hair was greasy and limp, hanging in thick ropes around her wan heart-shaped face and frizzing at the crown. The little eye make-up she wore before being kidnapped was smudged down her cheeks and her breath smelt like death. She _looked_ like death.

"There's a shower," came a voice and she was elated to realise it was not Klaus.

Instead, Stefan's kind green eyes looked down at her. "And a sink. Michael needed your cell and Klaus suggested they move you here."

Bonnie nodded slowly, rubbing her right eye with a yawn. If Stefan smelt her horrific breath, he gave no indication. She almost said 'thanks' and stopped herself in time. She owed them nothing.

Stefan nodded back and, instead of leaving, came to sit at the foot of her bed.

"Did he hurt you again?" he murmured quietly.

Bonnie nodded then shook her head before finally shrugging. She didn't remember. Her whole body hurt and she couldn't differentiate between her various injuries anymore.

"Where's Klaus?" she asked warily. Stefan looked surprised.

"Michael was…unhappy with him last night."

"What? Why?" Bonnie sat up now, looking at Stefan intently.

Stefan looked behind him like he was afraid someone was listening. Getting up to close the door, he stepped closer to the bed.

"I shouldn't say…"

"Please, Stefan…"

Stefan sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Michael thought that…picking off your family and friends would help you to co-operate."

Bonnie's eyes widened and she gave an audible gasp.

"Not Elena or anything. We can't get past what's protecting her," Stefan said quickly. "Your father."

Bonnie couldn't help the animal-like wail that escaped her. Stefan was at her side in a minute, rubbing small circles into her back.

"Klaus refused," he said. "Michael wasn't happy with that, naturally. He said if Klaus didn't pull himself together, he'd hurt _you_, the 'plan' be damned."

"So, my father…?"

"I don't know, Bonnie. I'm sorry."

Bonnie fell back into the pillows, hopelessness consuming her. This was all Klaus' fault, the bastard.

"I hope he dies," she whispered aloud. "Klaus, Michael, all of them. I just want to live long enough to see them burn."

Stefan said nothing, leaving the room with a wary glance back. Bonnie closed her eyes and repeated her silent prayer of vengeance.

_Oh God. I just want to kill Klaus before he kills me. If you're there, God…_

**KB**


	3. His Vulnerable Moment

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews, I enjoyed reading them :) Good to hear some of you hate Klaus so far. I'd be worried if you didn't. Here's the next instalment anyway. Don't forget to leave a little thought? :P**

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><p><strong>Bennett Syndrome<strong>

**CHAPTER THREE**

Bonnie turned to her side, watching the tray the guard had left on her bedside table. She had been awake for several hours now, pretending to sleep whenever Stefan or one of the guards checked in on her.

She was too slow to close her eyes when Stefan stepped in at mid-day.

"Bonnie? Are you up?"

"Hey."

She pulled herself up. She flinched at the soreness in her side; her head throbbed dully. She was clean at least. Nobody had provided clothing for her so she slept in the thin green towel she had showered with last night. Her hair and skin smelt like the generic soap she'd used to wash with.

"You're looking much better."

"You know, at least when I was in the cell, I felt more like I was being held captive."

Stefan smiled. "And how do you feel now?"

"Like I'm being forced to stay at the shittiest bed and breakfast on Earth."

Stefan laughed lowly.

"Where's Klaus?"

"That's the second time you've asked me that. I would have thought you'd be thankful he's gone."

"Gone?"

"Michael sent him on a little…mission, I guess."

"Does it have to do with me?"

"I really don't know, Bonnie."

A comfortable silence descended as Bonnie sipped the glass of water on her tray.

"Does, er, Elena know you're here? Damon?"

"Why?" Bonnie asked, watching him curiously. "Do you miss her? Elena, I mean."

"I serve Klaus now." Stefan shrugged, looking off to the side.

"But you loved her once," Bonnie pressed on, determined to find out if there was any humanity left in Stefan. "And Damon – he's your brother. You miss him, right?"

"I _really _don't want to be having this conversation, Bonnie," Stefan said with a tone of finality.

Bonnie shrugged, placing her glass back on the tray and picking up a stale piece of toast that was slightly burnt at the edges.

"So, _do_ your friends know you're here?"

Bonnie figured her situation was so hopeless, she may as well divulge her journey to Stefan. It wasn't like she had a hope of escaping Michael's fortress.

"No. I told Damon I'd find Klaus, kill him, and bring you home. He funded my…delusions. Elena and the others have no idea."

"Damon just let you go? On your own, to find and kill an Original?"

"Thanks for the faith in me," Bonnie said sardonically. Stefan wasn't amused, though.

"Why would he do that?"

"He was just thinking of Elena. We all were—_are_," she corrected herself quickly.

"That doesn't _upset_ you?"

"Why would it? It shows he had a lot of trust in my power. Fat lot of good it did any of us."

"You can't use your magic anymore?"

Bonnie involuntarily pouted. "I've tried, Stefan. I don't know. Klaus swears this place isn't protected. Every time I try, I hit a wall. It's so…frustrating."

"I can imagine."

"Can you…you know, heal me?" Bonnie reddened. She never thought she'd voluntarily drink vampire blood but the pain in her side was massively distracting.

"Give you my blood?" Stefan hesitated. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, Bonnie."

"Why not? You've done it before."

Stefan furrowed his brows. "No, I haven't."

"But—never mind. As fun as it's been playing twenty questions with you, Stefan, you can imagine why I'm not quite comfortable spilling my guts to one of Klaus' minions."

Stefan nodded. "I'll see you then."

He left quickly and Bonnie abandoned the dry toast she was trying to eat, drinking the rest of her water in one gulp.

**KB**

When Bonnie gathered the strength to venture outside her bed, she noticed the clothing hanging on the back of the bathroom door. They were all very plain pieces – fitted black dresses, plain low cut tops – a far cry from the feminine, floral style she usually donned.

_Klaus, _she thought.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed open the door to the bathroom. She showered quickly and carefully, anxious about aggravating her injury. The temptation of fresh, clean clothing overpowered her own indignation and so she gingerly slipped into a loose grey knit sweater. She pulled her own jeans on underneath.

She stopped dead in her tracks trying to re-enter the bedroom. A guard – one of Michael's – sat on her unmade bed fingering the grey tank top she'd discarded. He was dressed in head to toe black with a leather jacket hugging his wide frame.

"Who are you?"

He looked up and she recognised him as David from the cab. Not even feigning surprise, she rolled her eyes.

"Of course, you're one of them."

"You should have worn the green dress." He stood up, inching closer to her. "You have a great ass. It would have looked…spectacular."

"Don't," Bonnie said with as much anger as she could muster, "step any closer to me."

"Or what, hm? What are you going to do to me, _witch_? They say your powers don't even work anymore. What does that make you? A broken little witch."

He had her there. He could even have been one of Klaus' hybrids. Even if he were 'just' a vampire, he was still much, much stronger than her.

"Stay away."

"Klaus' little play thing," sang the tall vampire. He picked up a cluster of her hair, letting the curls drop one by one. "I can see why he likes you."

He lifted her hair to his nose, inhaling deeply. "Pretty little play-thing."

Bonnie knew he could hear her heart racing in fear. Her eyes flickered to the door frequently, waiting for an escape plan to formulate in her mind. Nothing came. If she screamed loudly enough, would Stefan hear? Would he get here before David could snap her neck in two? Would he care?

"What do you want from me?" she mumbled with less bravado than she would have liked.

"The same thing Klaus wants," he smirked, "but is too afraid to take."

His lips were barely on her neck for a second when he was pulled away roughly and sent flying into the opposite wall. For a second, she thought her powers had finally kicked in before she noticed Stefan panting, mere feet from her. He barely had time to regain his breath when the younger vampire came barrelling into Stefan. Bonnie screamed, backing herself into the far corner.

Both vampires stood crouching and growling at one another, matching each step the other took.

"She's mine," David grunted.

"She belongs to Klaus," Stefan replied coolly. "He won't be happy to hear that you've been man-handling his witch."

David straightened. "Like I care what the freak thinks," he grumbled, pushing out of the room.

"Freak?" Stefan called after him, amusement colouring his voice. "He'll be happy to hear that too, I'm sure."

"Thanks," Bonnie said quietly. She picked up the tank top David had left strewn on the thinly-carpeted floor.

Stefan nodded. "Be careful, Bonnie. Not everyone here is happy with the fact that you're still breathing."

"I gathered." Bonnie rolled her eyes. "I don't think anyone here wants me breathing."

"That's not as true as you've convinced yourself, Bonnie."

When she didn't reply, he left, closing the door behind him. Bonnie sank into her bed, drawing her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth for several minutes.

Nobody bothered her for the rest of the day. She brushed her hair, tried on the various articles of clothing Klaus had left, and fell asleep at sunset when she ran out of things to do.

**KB**

_She was back in the garden Klaus had taken her to when she fell asleep on the flight._

"_Are you going to hurt me here too?" Bonnie asked idly, sounding calmer than she felt._

_Klaus seemed to materialize from nowhere, keeping a safe distance from her._

"_Would you like me to?"_

_Bonnie shrugged. "I would like if you didn't. But you're going to, anyway."_

"_And why is that?"_

_She pursed her lips, thinking. "Because you hate me? Because you secretly want me dead but can't because Michael won't let you kill me? Take your pick, Klaus."_

"_Bonnie, Bonnie, Bonnie…" Klaus trailed off, an idle smile on his face as he watched her pick various flowers. "You think you have everyone figured out, don't you?"_

_She didn't reply. She had a cluster of irises that she began braiding through her hair. _

"_I saw your friends today. Elena and Caroline? They were at school. They were talking about homework and boys."_

"_Good for them," Bonnie said, and she meant it. "They deserve a nice, normal life."_

"_What about you?"_

"_What about me?"_

"_Don't _you_ deserve 'nice and normal', witch?"_

"_Can you _give_ me 'nice and normal', Klaus?" Bonnie looked at him, eyebrows raised. Klaus didn't flinch under her stare._

"_Oh that I could," he muttered._

"_Could you repeat that?"_

_He ignored her. "Does the Gilbert boy give you 'nice and normal'?"_

_Klaus looked physically repulsed by the thought of the two together and Bonnie took the opportunity to push his buttons some more._

"_Yes. Jeremy gives me all that and more. He's the kindest, most honest boy I've ever known. With him, I can forget all about vampires and witches and—"_

"_Enough," Klaus said, raising his voice. _

_Bonnie smirked. "Does that bother you, Klaus?"_

"_Why should it? The weak, broken witch and the pathetic human boy deserve each other."_

_He was disappointed to see his words had no effect on her. "Don't get confused, witch. I may idly desire your _body_ from time to time but you will never hold any power over me."_

"_Why haven't you taken it?" Bonnie asked curiously. She vaguely wondered if she were pushing her luck too far. If this were his dream, why hadn't he tortured her for her insolence? Klaus had ways of making scars permanent, even in waking. She had learned this firsthand. "You always hang this threat over my head. If you want me as much as you claim, why don't you _take _me?"_

_She enunciated the last few words slowly, watching Klaus' face for a reaction. He remained impassive._

"_I'm done speaking to you. Leave."_

_The dream blurred around her. "Hey!" she shouted. "I'm not done talking to you!"_

But apparently she was because next thing she knew, she woke up in her bed with large hands trying to coax her awake. She was reminded of the night she was kidnapped from the motel and so she fought against them.

"Bonnie! Bonnie, hey."

She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, calming herself. "Stefan?"

"Klaus is back."

Her dream came rushing back to her and chills ran down her spine. "Is he?"

"Yes. Bonnie, I think he may have hurt – or killed – someone back at Mystic Falls."

Stefan asked himself again why he cared. There was nothing left for him in Mystic Falls. He shouldn't even be here, warning the witch.

"He did," Bonnie said with total surety.

A chilling understanding dawned on her. That was why Klaus had been so cocky, so pleased with himself, in the dream. Nothing she said could shake his feeling of self-satisfaction. It was his way of showing her that he could toy with her life and everyone she loved.

**KB**

"Father," Klaus called, fighting to keep the smile off his face as he entered the great hall. "Father, it is done."

He didn't know what he expected Michael to do. Hug him? Tell him he was finally proud of his son? Klaus watched his father's face for some sign of approval.

"What took you so long?" Michael asked in a bored tone.

"I—" Klaus faltered. "I did what you asked, father."

"Did you hesitate?" Michael asked. Klaus was prepared to answer 'no' but he withered under Michael's cold pale eyes. "Did the thought of the witch's grief slow you down?"

"Of course not," Klaus breathed hurriedly. "No, never. Father, _never_. The witch and her family, her friends, mean _nothing_ to me. Only serving you and—and the war. Our rise to… power."

Michael's lips curled in disgust. "You're lying to me. I can see it in your eyes. Disgusting weak cretin, you are no son of mine."

Michael was at his side before Klaus even registered what was happening. He heard a sickening crack and his neck flicked backwards. Two great hands on his chest sent him flying across the hall.

He could fight back, he knew. After all, he was a hybrid. _The _hybrid, the original hybrid. But this was Michael; his father, the one he lived to serve and to please, and the one who terrified him all the same. So he lay still, drawing painful breaths as his body healed itself.

Michael was already nearing him, snarling with frustration at the fact that Klaus was not fighting back.

"You weak, _worthless_ little shit."

Klaus dismissed the moisture coating his eyes as a natural reaction to the pain just as Michael snapped the fine bones of his fingers one by one.

_This is for the witch,_ he thought through the pain. _This can be my salvation. I'll endure a pain tenfold for every iota of suffering I've caused her._

Yet even as he flinched away from Michael's heavy boot coming down fast, he knew this would not – could not – be salvation. He would only achieve that at the hands of one person, and it wasn't Michael.

Michael ordered him out of his sight some hours later and Klaus dragged himself out of the great hall, shamefully thankful for the reprieve. He didn't know where he was going. Really, he should have gone straight to his sleeping quarters and regrouped. Or perhaps tried Michael's patience and grovelled for forgiveness.

Instead, he found himself moving further down into the bowels of the castle, stopping short of the dungeons. Two realisations struck him almost simultaneously. The witch was no longer in the cell, he remembered. He'd moved her to the bedroom while Michael's new captive occupied her cell. Then, he realised it was the witch he was looking for in his vulnerable moment.

Emitting a half-sigh, half-grunt, he raced with more urgency than he would care to admit to the witch's room.

**KB**

Bonnie decided to wear one of the more understated, cotton dresses to bed. She vaguely wondered if they'd let her wash her clothes here. She laughed humourlessly.

"You're a captive, Bonnie," she told herself. "Start acting like one."

The door swung open and she turned to see an uncharacteristically dishevelled Klaus standing in the doorway.

"Come to brag?" she asked with a blank face.

"What?" Klaus seemed taken off guard.

"Come to brag? I heard you—" She stopped herself in time. It was one thing when her mouthing off got her into trouble. It was quite another when she incriminated Stefan. "What do you want?"

"I didn't realise I needed permission to visit my own hostage, _witch_."

"My name is Bonnie," she said coldly. "You don't hear me calling you 'hybrid'."

Klaus was quiet, processing what she'd just said. Michael called him hybrid from time to time.

"A name would indicate you _mean_ something to me."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" Bonnie said softly.

"No," Klaus returned in the same tone.

An odd silence descended over the room.

"What happened to you?" Bonnie ventured curiously, keeping her tone cold and civil.

Klaus grunted as if to say he wasn't in the mood. "Just…go to sleep, Bon—witch."

Klaus turned to leave.

"I will, hybrid."

"Klaus," he said, without turning. "My name is Klaus."

**KB**


End file.
